Tube-splitting machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. MOORE.

TUBE SPLITTING MACHINE.

No. 495,257. Patented Apr. 11, 1893.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J MOORE TUBE SPLITTING MACHINE.

No. 495,257. I Patented Apr. 11, 1893.

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U ITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH MOORE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TUBE-SPLITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,257, dated April 11, 1893.

Application filedOctober 3, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH Mooan, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube-Splitting Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a machine for splitting tubes into halves, and particularly old boiler tubes, which when worn out and condemned, are covered with rust, scale and dirt. Immense quantities of such tubes are found in every large manufacturing city, which if they can be economically cleaned and prepared, form valuable stock to be worked over in a melting furnace. Heretofore however the expense of cleaning the tubes, and then slowly sawing them into halves has been so great, that they have. not been utilized to nearly so great an extent as is easily practicable.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine by which these tubes may be rapidly split into halves and at the same time cleaned to such an extent that no separate cleaning process is required.

My invention relates only to the splitting and cleaning of the tubes; subsequent steps are necessary to fit them forthe melting furnace, such as rolling the splithalvesflat,cut-

tin or shortening them to proper lengths,

and binding the short fiat strips into billets of proper size for the furnace; and I have only in the present case described and shown the first step in what in practice :will be a continuous operation.

My invention consists, broadly speaking of a stationary splitting knife, in combination with a movable tubecarrying mechanism; further in the construction and relative arrangement of such parts; further in special devices for holding, feeding and centering the tubes; and finally in various details of construction which need not here be specified, but which are fully hereinafter described, and are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a tire machine.

broken plan View of the en- Fig. 2, is a front elevation.

Serial No. 447,638. (No model.)

Fig. 3, is a transverse section of Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a detail of end thrust plate. Fig. 5 is a detail of the hinged centering plate. Fig. 6, is a side elevation; Fig. 7, section on line eraof Fig. 6. Fig. 8, is a separate view of the cutter bar. Fig. 9, is an elevation of the upper, supporting clamp.

The bed A of the machine is supportedby heavy legs or standards, as shown, and has a central longitudinal opening extending from end to end (Fig. 1). At the edges of this opening are the longitudinal guide rails 1-.-l (Figs. 1 and 2), upon which travels the sliding tube holder B. This tube holderis a rectangular frame (best shown in plan, Fig. 1) and its longitudinal motion is imparted to it by a screw shaft C, mounted in the lower part of the bed, and geared to a driving shaft D, having belt pulleys. The end of the screw shaft works in a nut forming part of the extreme end of the movable tube holder.

The cutter bar E is firmly secured in a cross head F, near the rear end of the machine. It is a long cylindrical stem having a tapering extremity 2, and having set within it and near that end a steel knife or cutter 3, projecting above and below it. The cutter bar is also supported by a bearing4 in the cross head G, forming the rear end'of themovable frame, a gland 5 making a tight fit.

The tubeI-I is fixed and centered in its movable holder by d-evices. which will now be specially described.

Referring to Fig.3, 6 represents the lower part of a clamp forming part of .the. movable holder and having inwardly projecting arms 7-7 which form between them an open rest for the tube. The corresponding upper clamp 8, (see Fig. 9) is hinged to the tube holder and has two depending arms 9-9, which rest upon the tube. This clamp is raised when the tubeis to be placedin position, and is then closed down upon it and secured. Thefront end of the tube abuts againstacentering plate 10 (Fig. 5) composed of two hinged sections 11, normally closed by a spring 12. These sections are secured by bolts 13, passing through elongated slots 14, to the solid thrust plate 1, bolted or otherwise secured to the holder. Both plates 1 and 10 have registering central openings -16 neither of which is large enough to receive the full Width of the cutter bar exceptingas hereinafter explained.

Then the tube is in place and the frame commences to move back the tube passes over the cutter bar and the projecting cutters split the tubes exactly into halves. Near the end of the cut the tapered end of the cutter bar enters the central opening in the plate 10 and separates the hinged sections of the plate so that it can pass. The cutter bar thus keeps the almost split tube perfectly centered, while the tapered extremity enters the hole in the thrust plate, and the cutter blades finish the cut. The efiect of splitting the tube in this way is to slightly bend or flatten it which cracks the crust of scale inside and outside. The scale and other dirt drop off in flakes as the cutting progresses leaving the split sections of the tube comparatively clear at the end of the operation.

It is not my purpose to describe herein in detail any subsequent steps in the process of preparing these split sections into billets for the melting furnace. It is sufficient to say that the half sections are run through a series of rollers by which they are straightened and flattened; that they are then cut into proper lengths, and in the shape of short fiat strips are Wired into compact bundles of convenient shape for storing, transportation and the melting furnace. I am in this way enabled to utilize vast quantities of old tubes which ordinarily remain upon the scrap heap simply because there has been no cheap and simple means of preparing them for the furnace. Attempts have been made to saw such tubes lengthwise, but the extreme slowness of the operation and the fact that the tubes require to be separately cleaned make the process too expensive to be com merciall y practicable.

What I claim is- 1. A machine for splitting tubes comprising a reciprocating tube holding frame,a cutter bar or rod arranged in line therewith and designed to penetrate the tube, and cutters carried by said bar, substantially as described.

2. In combination, the bed frame, the reciprocating tube holding frame mounted therein, a rigid cutter bar arranged in line with the frame and designed to penetrate the tube, cutters carried by the bar, a revolving screw shaft mounted beneath the moving frame, and a lug or projection depending from said frame and engaging the screw shaft, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the bed frame, the cutter bar mounted therein, cutters carried by said bar, a frame reciprocating in line with the cutter bar and tube holding clamps carried by said frame, saidclamps having open spaces in line with the cutters to permit the passage of the same, substantially as described.

4. In combination, the bed frame, the cutter bar mounted therein, vertical cutters carried by said bar above and below, a frame reciprocating in line with the cutter bar,a rigid lower tube clamp having arms '7, with a space between and an upper adjustable clamp having arms 9 9, with a space between, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for splitting tubes, the combination of a bed frame, a tube holder movable thereon and a cutter bar fixed in said bed frame and having a bearing in the said tube holder, and a knife on said cutter bar substantially as described and shown.

6. The combination of abed frame, a movable tube holder sliding thereon, a fixed cutter bar provided with a knife and having a tapering end, and a thrust plate secured to the movable holder at one end thereof and provided with a central opening having slots radiating therefrom, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a bed frame, a tube holder movable thereon, a fixed cutter bar provided with a knife and having a tapering end, a thrust plate provided with a central opening with slot-s radiating therefrom secured at one end of said holder, and ahinged centering plate adjacent to said thrust plate and having a central opening with slots radiating therefrom and a spring which tends to keep it constantly closed, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with the bed frame and the sliding tube holder of the cutter bar fixed in the bed and having upper and lower projecting knives or cutters placed in line, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 14th day of September, 1892.

. JOSEPH MOORE.

Witnesses:

L. W. SEELY, JOHN COFFEE. 

